The Mail Bag
Bent, Jo or Asamoah?
Comments (61)
Right, last day of the transfer window today and the press are linking us with Darren Bent, Jo and Asamoah. Which of these (if any) strikers would you prefer to see Moyes secure for the run in?
Bent it seems is surpluss to requirements at Spurs. Never a £16m player but is he worth a punt? Loan with a view to buy perhaps? Low on confidence.
Jo... never really seen him play but again £18m seems excessive. Young players often do take time adjusting to a new league, especially the Premier League. Again maybe worth taking on loan
Asamoah. Showed a lot of promise a couple of years ago and was linked with bigger clubs. Maybe lost his way a tad of late. Bit of an unknow quantity.
I would go with Asamoah then Bent as he knows the league but would be reluctant to rely on Jo to see us through the run final stages of the season.
Oh, and I see another link to Moutinho. Seems people forget we are skint.
Matt Bone, Posted 02/02/2009 at 05:49:48
Comments
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
2 Posted 02/02/2009 at 10:06:11
According to the papers (I know), us and Newcastle have been looking at him, but he has supposed to have said he was holding out for a move to us. If that was the case, I would fuck Jo right off, as Bent is miles better. The only problem would be the injury to Defoe.
3 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:08:59
4 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:19:36
5 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:25:43
6 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:34:06
7 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:40:14
Moyes was after him in the summer and we were priced out of it by City, yet here he is at Everton anyway - the kids scoring record was immense at CSKA so if he get some form for us, he’ll be a right handful.
Whatever your feelings, we do now have a £20m striker on our books.
8 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:44:26
Not sure.
9 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:47:35
I hope the hell Moyes actually uses him, gives him some games and doesn?t let him sit on the bench. Jo in for Osman...
I can?t see it.
10 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:52:00
11 Posted 02/02/2009 at 14:53:33
12 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:01:42
13 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:04:06
14 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:05:21
15 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:14:06
I?ve expected the fact that we have no money during this window... but I would expect some money to be there in the summer.
Not having an option to buy would be very short-sighted.
16 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:15:14
Re the option to buy... he?s cover till the end of the season. Yak will be back next season and so will Vaughan... I think Big Vic will be on his way to the Championship.
17 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:22:31
Motivation??? Could it perhaps be something to do with the fact he?s a striker and we have no stirkers??? Just a stab in the dark, but I could be right.
18 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:26:26
Agree with Kev Sparke about Jo; he looks out of his depth when I?ve seen him play at Middle Eastlands.
19 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:23:59
20 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:41:09
21 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:49:38
Drogba had the same first season at Chelsea. Fans thought he was a girly-boy who couldn?t hack the Premier League and wanted Crespo back? and now? Jo is his 21-year-old clone (who needs a bit of muscle, a bit of confidence and something to fight for, say? Europe).
My point: 9 games does not a Premier League striker make! Even Yakubu and Felliani were lost when they arrived.
The league doesn?t lie. We are better than them! Our players are more settled, our manager more talented and focused, our fans more inviting and tolerant, our history?
I am sure that if we get behind Jo he will work hard to pay back the faith shown in him, be loyal to those who believed in him, develop a healthy love for our club, engineer a transfer (making him a little bit cheaper), and? oh yeah? score!
I hope we?ve agreed a fee below the £12million watershed. Then the Jo..ke is on them.
We now have 2 of the 4 main transfer targets of the summer (combined price of £34 million). Not bad for a penniless club!
22 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:53:13
I meant motivation for the player to actually perform, rather than sitting on the bench waiting for the loan period to expire.
As for Vaughan... well, the less said about that the better. He?s an OK player, who?s had more injuries than Evil Kenevil...
23 Posted 02/02/2009 at 15:55:40
24 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:14:02
He is better (in my opinion) than Saha, Jo and Vaughan. So, along with the Yaki he would be the main strike force.
25 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:19:39
26 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:18:20
27 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:18:52
28 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:21:08
Robert: "Great signing" ? let's not go down that road, until we see him play for us.
29 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:24:42
30 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:42:22
You heard it here first!
31 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:54:06
32 Posted 02/02/2009 at 16:53:46
33 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:02:23
Kuranyi? Hmm, not on my watch!
34 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:03:31
Odd, very odd.
35 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:10:15
36 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:25:13
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XZBkE7hIwTQ
Make no mistake this lad knows where the onion bag is!
37 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:24:57
38 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:32:11
He says it has been a tough settling in period at City but he now feels ready and is confident he can help Everton finish as high up the table as possible.
Obviously you’d expect him to say what you wanna hear, but he seems a bright lad and genuinely happy to be at a great Football Club.
Welcome aboard Jo, COYB!
39 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:38:22
40 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:37:09
Editorial Team
41 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:50:41
42 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:56:41
Looks like the Arshavin deal is off - ha. ha.
Editorial Team
43 Posted 02/02/2009 at 18:12:15
44 Posted 02/02/2009 at 18:02:27
But Brian, you?re right. To get anything out of him the good balls are going to have to be played ? not hopeful hoofs, but good crosses, lay-offs and threaded passes. And for the first time in years we have a midfield plus at least Baines from LB capable of doing these things.
And the same was said about Yak when he came ? and he started scoring straight off. By heck, I?m starting to get mildly optimistic.
45 Posted 02/02/2009 at 17:59:48
46 Posted 02/02/2009 at 18:07:58
Just how will we fit him in? If we drop Osman do we put Jo on the wing insted or piss off Artetta and put him there. Do we drop Hibbo and put Phil Nev there and expect Arteta to fight like Phil does? Cahill cannot operate as a regular midfielder. It's been tried many times.
If we went on and signed him and played him with the Yak next year, we would have to drop Cahill. A 4-3-1-2 dropping Osman and Pienaar playing the Yak-Jo-Cahill up front.
I guess what I am asking is whether 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, 4-3-3 what players would you all like, in what formation? Don't wanna mess with team spirit or a strong work ethic... Will the Yak or Jo work as hard defending from the front?
47 Posted 02/02/2009 at 18:35:18
And if it doesn’t work out, Yak will be back anyway.
48 Posted 02/02/2009 at 18:44:23
49 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:03:34
Sorry Lyndon.
Arshavin is a Gooner after all...
50 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:06:45
Can't say I watch him regularly myself but I have seen him play (Uefa Cup and internationals) and watched clips on YouTube of some of his goals and like Jo some of his finishing is quality. I don't care what league you're in, if you can score with your right and left foot from 2 yards up to 30 yards out from all different angles and on a regular basis then you have quality in my book. That applies to Jo and Love.
51 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:30:20
Well, we shall see about that!
52 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:29:49
53 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:38:23
If he thinks that he can serve up 6th with this squad, then so do I ? after all, he took us to 4th with a very poor squad indeed.
54 Posted 02/02/2009 at 19:51:33
Note to the strange dealings of Spurs, I can?t remember 3 players returning to a club they have so recently left. It must have something to do with cash-flow from the original buyers. Note also that as well as the departure of Keane a few other Anfield fringe players left as well.
Jo may or may not work out, only time will tell, but at least he?s an experienced player with a point to prove to all his doubters. I am relieved that we didn?t lose any of our more established players in this window. I think the summer will be more of the same with little chance to add players to the squad due to budgetry limitations.
55 Posted 02/02/2009 at 20:02:03
He does look a little lazy, but in striker lazy fashion / yak mould (not as bad a one Dimitar tho).
This ones optimistic!
56 Posted 02/02/2009 at 20:25:33
57 Posted 02/02/2009 at 12:57:04
Plus with Jo and Fellaini, have we got the most hair in the Premier League?
58 Posted 02/02/2009 at 20:38:57
Man City are star struck cowards who acquired ?loadsamoney? and a zero tolerance on failure. Talk about pressure. He?s a kid. A wonder-kid, but still a kid.
When I was 21 I was trying to conquer Ingelae Svensson?s perfectly formed? ahem. I eventually succeeded, and boy was I pleased with myself! How must Jô feel having to rise to the challenge of the EPL.
Jô would have stayed put if he was content to be a lazy bastard. Instead he?s joined the hardest working team in the country. He wants to play, he wants to succeed and I suspect he has a point to prove.
The good news is that after Wednesday our opposition become a tad bit easier. That should allow him the opportunity to prove his worth.
No-one dares question his ability. His goal ratio speaks for itself and he has Lineker?s goalscoring radar (a natural instinct). All that is in question is his heart.
I believe he?s finally come to the right club but will 3½ months be enough?
59 Posted 02/02/2009 at 20:53:26
Jo will be motivated to prove to himself and others that he can hack it in the EPL, become a big name, get a spot in the Brazilian team etc. Hopefully, Moyes (including his staff and team) will be able to get much more out of him than City did.
60 Posted 02/02/2009 at 21:18:52
I think like with Manny we will have to wait for the last few games of the season for him to produce but what a prospect.
Don't forget he is filling the REAL Ronaldo?s boots for Brazil and was amazing in the Russian league and Ok it?s not the prem but it?s certainly a cut above the Scottish prem so it?s not a major step up.
Just be patient till the lad gets fit then watch him go.
61 Posted 03/02/2009 at 03:32:19
I think we?ve found a system that works incredibly well in the 4-5-1. The 4-4-2 I wasn?t happy with at all when we tinkered with it earlier in the season. And as far a I?m concerned, Cahill in that attacking midfielder / lay-off CF role is the way to go. If he?s healthy he?s got to be in the lineup. The guy is everything you want and produces.
Putting the fringe guys on loan to get Jo was good business. I think if he comes in here and works his socks off (questionable) we?d try to keep him by selling an asset (Yak).
In short, I see us as a 4-5-1 team. The striker will be Yak or Jo, depending on how Jo performs and IF he does whether we can off-load Yak to afford him.
Either way next year we have Yak or Jo up top. Not a bad choice to have considering we can?t afford a field mouse at this juncture.
Any thoughts on the formation / lineup going forward?


1 Posted 02/02/2009 at 10:05:10